James and Lily: The Very Beginning
by HT188
Summary: See the story through the perspectives of Lily and James, even Snape and many more. Starting out with Lily as she firsts finds out about the Wizarding world and then follow the life of the rich James Potter as he grows up as a spoiled but lonely only child. See their lives interconnect in their journey through Hogwarts as they realize that they are made for each other.
1. Chapter 1: The Witch and the Prince

**The Very Beginning**

**Hey everyone, I really hope you enjoy this story I plan to start with Lily and James as they were little and then skip to their first year at Hogwarts and go from there. If you enjoy this, Please read my other story Harry Potter: After the Final Battle. All the italicized writing in this story is not mine, it comes directly out of the HP books and belongs to JK Rowling. The first chapter has a lot because I thought it would be the perfect way to start my book and I love this memory (which I must say they didn't do a good job of in the movie). DISCLAIMER: HARRY POTTER BELONGS TO JK ROWLING NOT ME. Please, Please, Please Review! I love to read reviews and they encourage me to write updates faster! Thanks, please enjoy - HT188**

**Chapter 1: The Witch and the Prince**

Lily was so excited; their parents were finally letting her and Tuney go to the playground today. She was finally going to show Tuney what she could do. It had all started in February a little after her ninth birthday; things she couldn't explain but she just made happen.

She remembered one day her mom had just made homemade delicious chocolate chip cookies and she really wanted one. Told that she was not allowed one until after supper, she angrily turned her back on her mother. After her mother had left the room, all of a sudden the cookie started floating towards her as she stared at it in shock. Hungrily eating the cookie while pleased, Lily had cookie crumbs all over her mouth and lap as her mother returned to the kitchen.

Even though she was punished she was curious and kept testing her abilities every day. It was now May and she realized she could make things happen just by the sheer will of wishing for them to come true.

Today was it…. Finally the time when she would share her secret with her older sister, her best friend, Petunia.

_Snape looked no more than nine or ten years old, sallow, small, stringy. There was undisguised greed in his thin face as he watched the younger of the two girls swinging higher and higher than her sister._

_"Lily, don't do it!" shrieked the elder of the two_

_But the girl had let go of the swing at the very height of its arc and flown into the air, quite literally flown, launched herself sky-ward with a great shout of laughter, and instead of crumpling on the playground asphalt, she soared like a trapeze artist through the air, staying up far too long, landing far too lightly._

_"Mummy told you not to!"_

_Petunia stopped her swing by dragging the heels of her sandals on the ground, making a crunching, grinding sound, then leapt up, hands on hips._

_"Mummy said you weren't allowed, Lily!"_

_"But I'm fine, said Lily, still giggling. "Tuney, look at this. Watch what I can do."_

_Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves and, though the girls did not know it, Snape. Lily had picked up a fallen flower from the bush behind which Snape lurked. Petunia advanced, evidently torn between curiosity and disapproval. Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closings its petals, like some bizarre, many-lipped oyster._

_"Stop it!" shrieked Petunia._

_"Its not hurting you," said Lily, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back to the ground._

_"It's not right," said Petunia, but her eyes had followed the flower's flight to the ground and lingered upon it "How do you do it?" she added, and there was definite longing in her voice._

_"Its obvious, isn't it?" Snape could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. Snape seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of color mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily._

_"What's obvious?" asked Lily._

_Snape had an air of nervous excitement. With a glance at the distant Petunia, now hovering beside the swings, he lowered his voice and said, "I know what you are"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You're… you're a witch," whispered Snape._

_She looked affronted._

_"That's not a very nice thing to say to somebody!"_

_She turned, nose in the air, and marched off toward her sister._

_"No!" said Snape_

_He flapped after the girls, looking ludicrously batlike, like his older self._

_The sisters considered him, united in disapproval, both holding on to one of the swing poles as thought it was the safe place in tag._

_"You are," said Snape to Lily. "You are a witch. I've been watching you for a while. But there's nothing wrong with that. My mum's one, and I'm a wizard."_

_Petunia's laugh was like cold water._

_"Wizard!" she shrieked, her courage returned now that she had recovered from the shock of his unexpected appearance. "I know who you are. You're that Snape boy! They live down Spinner's end by the river," she told Lily, and it was evident from her tone that she considered the address a poor recommendation. "Why have you been spying on us?"_

_"Haven't been spying," said Snape, hot and uncomfortable and dirty-haired in the bright sunlight. "Wouldn't spy on you, anyway," he added spitefully, "you're a Muggle."_

_Though Petunia evidently did not understand the word, she could hardly mistake the tone._

_"Lily, come on, we're leaving!" she said shrilly. Lily obeyed her sister at once, glaring at Snape as she left. He stood watching them as they marched through the playground gate._

As soon as the two sisters reached their house, #4 Privet Drive, Lily ran up the stairs to her room without even greeting her parents. Sobbing onto the purple comforter on her cozy bed, she recounted the events that occurred earlier in her head. How dare that Snape boy call her a witch. It was such a mean thing to do, witches were mean and ugly with warts and green faces, I mean look at all the evidence, the witch from The Wizard of Oz and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. And Tuney, Tuney didn't even like her tricks, She thought that they were weird and … unnatural. She was so disappointed, here for months she had been dreaming of herself as special like someone from the many fairytale books she read but Petunia ruined it all when Lily thought she would be pleased and excited as well.. How could her own sister betray her and make her feel this awful, like a… like a freak. She sobbed harder as her mother walked into the room.

"Lily, come on Lily flower tell mummy what's wrong" her mother said kindly while leaning over to sit with her on the bed.

Lily jumped into her mother's embrace and tried to speak while still sobbing uncontrollably.

"Tuney doesn't like me anymore, and the boy on the playground called me a… he called me a witch!" she said between sobs.

"Calm down it will be alright, you know Petunia will always love you no matter what, you just got into a small fight today. That wasn't very nice of the boy to say, how could he ever call my sweet Lily flower a witch?"

Her mother continued to console her until Lily finally stopped crying and she had to leave to cook dinner.

Now having the time to analyze the situation, Lily felt that Snape hadn't meant being a witch as an insult, if it wasn't an insult that what did he mean? He seemed almost pleased to tell her.

Lily would find out what he meant and figure out what was happening to her, even if she had to do it without Petunia's help.


	2. Chapter 2: Answers

**Hey everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry for more quotes from the book again, JK Rowling does it best (all quotes in italics). Soon the quotes from Snape's memories in the 7th book will end. Next chapter is about James and I'm really excited to write this one. Please check out my other story Harry Potter: After the Final Battle. Please Review! Thanks- HT188**

**Chapter 2: Answers**

"Mummy can I go to the park today?" Lily asked sweetly. Now that Petunia was away at a piano lesson Lily might actually get the chance to talk to that Snape boy again.

" Well, be careful and I will be right outside in the front yard gardening, ok?" her mother said knowing the park was just down the road.

Lily excitedly ran off knowing that if Snape were there, today would be the day when she would finally get some answers.

She found him under the same tree he was hiding behind the other day, he sat there smirking slightly as though he had been expecting her.

"I believe we haven't been properly introduced, I'm Severus Snape" Snape said while sticking out his hand and slightly blushing.

"Lily Evans" she said buzzing with curiosity about this small boy.

Very direct she said, "What did you mean by calling me a witch the other day?"

"Oh that, you see this is kinda hard to explain. There are magical people in the world who are witches and wizards and the nonmagical people like your sister are called muggles. Magical people like you and me get to go to this school called Hogwarts when we turn 11, I can't wait. And there's and Ministry of Magic_ and the Ministry can punish you if you do magic outside school, you get letters."_

_"But I have done magic outside of school!"_

_"We're all right. We haven't got wands yet. They let you off when you're a kid and you can't help it. But once you're eleven," he nodded importantly, "and they start training you, then you've got to go careful."_

"Oh Sev, do you mind if I call you Sev?, I can't wait to go to Hogwarts, but we have 2 more years. Tell me more, I wanna know everything!"

His only response to the question of his name was to just blush harder.

From then on Lily met Severus in the park every week and the two were well on their way to becoming best friends.

Petunia seemed left out, her little sister no longer told her everything anymore. Lily was keeping a secret and she acted like the two sisters were no longer best friends. What secret?, well she would just have to find out.

_"Will the letter really come by owl?" Lily whispered._

_"Normally", said Snape. But you're Muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come explain to your parents"._

_"Does it make a difference, being Muggle-born?"_

_Snape hesitated. His black eyes, eager in the greenish gloom, moved over the pale face, the dark red hair._

_"No," he said. "It doesn't make any difference"_

_"Good," said Lily, relaxing: It was clear that she had been worrying._

_"You've got loads of magic," said Snape. "I saw that. All the time I was watching you…"_

"I just hope I won't be behind everyone else at school."

_"Tell me about the dementors again. If I use magic outside school—"._

_"They wouldn't give you to the dementors for that! Dementors are for people who do really bad stuff. They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban You're not going to end up in Azkaban, you're too—" _

_He turned red again and shredded more leaves. Then a small rustling noise behind him made him turn. Petunia, hiding behind a tree, had lost her footing._

_"Tuney!" said Lily, surprise and welcome in her voice_ maybe her sister would finally understand her.

"Lily what are you doing here with him? You know I told you not to talk to him. How could you Lily I never see you and you never tell me anything anymore" Petunia said as she ran off back towards the house.

"I have to go after her, to explain. I'm sorry I'll see you later Sev" Lily said as she too ran off.

Severus was left alone, sitting under the tall tree. The tree he had come to know as "their tree". He knew without a doubt that he was in love with Lily, whose hair gleamed like a burning fire.

"Tuney, I'm sorry I didn't tell you but Sev has been telling me about being a witch and going to this school called Hogwarts…"

"And you really believe that nonsense Lily, he's obviously making it up just to spend time with you, he's weird and you are too little to understand not to associate with people like that. Just stop this nonsense about Hogwarts, please!" She said while leaving Lily and walking to her own room.

Lily knew that what Sev told her could never be a joke and she knew that she seemed to be growing farther and farther apart form her sister every day. Sadly, their friendship might not be possible to save, no matter how hard Lily tried.


	3. Chapter 3:Overly Excited

**Chapter 3: Overly Excited**

James rushed down the stairs in the Potter's house holding a yellow envelope.

"It came, It came! Mum, Dad it finally came!"

"Oh my little Jamesy finally got his letter" his mother said as she scooped him up in a hug and kissed him on the top of his head.

"Mum, I told you not to call me Jamesy anymore, I am eleven now!

"Well, no matter how old you are you will always be my little Jamesy!"

"Can you believe it I'm finally going to Hogwarts, I've been waiting for this forever. When can we go to Diagon Alley?"

Lily heard a knock downstairs at the door, could it be someone from Hogwarts?

"Good Morning Mr. and Mrs. Evans, my name is Professor McGonagall and I'm here to offer your daughter Lily a place at our school."

Lily stood at the top of the staircase holding on to every word McGonagall said while silently peering around the corner.

"Lily is special, this may be hard to understand but there is a world of magic with wizards and witches and Hogwarts is a magic school for people with these abilities like Lily"

"What are you crazy? I've never heard anything so farfetched before" cried

"I understand how you must be feeling, but it is true." And with that McGonagall turned into a tabby cat right before their eyes.

"Oh my goodness Richard, what is going on" cried Violet Evans

"Now that my demonstration is over and you all know the truth, may I speak to Lily"

Before her parents could even call her name, Lily rushed down the stairs.

"Hello Professor, my name is Lily" she said as she extended her hand politely

"Well its nice to meet you Lily, and I believe this belongs to you" McGonagall said as she handed Lily a yellow envelope that had her name written in cursive writing.

"If she accepts her invitation, either myself or someone from the school will come to show you the way to Diagon Alley. I hope to see you at Hogwarts Lily" with that last note Professor McGonagall disappeared with only a slight popping noise.

Looking around the room, Lily's parents still had a look of shock etched into their faces while Lily only had a look of pure excitement. She was going to Hogwarts!


	4. Chapter 4: Diagon Alley

**Hey so sorry to make all of you wait this long. I have just finished all of my applications for college so I can finally get back to writing. After this chapter will be the sorting and Hogwarts Express. Lily will have her first meeting with a couple of marauders in this chapter. See if y'all can figure out who the boy that knocked her over is, I tried to make it obvious with his description. I will try and update as soon as I can. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. Please REVIEW. Reviews are so encouraging and always help me to update faster!**

**Chapter4: Diagon Alley**

Lily stared around her in awe as she followed Professor McGonagall through the barrier into Diagon Alley. There were shops for cauldrons, shops for brooms, magical books, even an owl post office.

"Come along Lily, let's start by getting your wand". Professor McGonagall said. Mr. Ollivander's shop was bit creepy with the dark dusty boxes of wands laying all about. There was one boy already talking to the wizard while his parents stood in the background.

"Good to see you Minerva" Dorea Potter called out to her when she noticed the Professor.

"Good to see you as well Dorea, I didn't know you had a son coming to Hogwarts this year. Hopefully he won't be as mischievous as you were Charlus, back in the day." she said to Mr. Potter.

"Well I'm sure Hogwarts would be quite interesting with James stirring up trouble" he laughed. "Who have you got with you, Minerva?"

"This is Lily Evans, a muggleborn, and this is her first time in Diagon Alley."

"Hello Lily, lovely to meet you." Dorea smiled at her just as the black haired boy turned away from Mr. Ollivander to look at who his parents were talking to. With a swish of the wand he was trying out in his hand everything suddenly changed.

"Ah, I'm purple!" Lily screamed. Things like this had never happened to her before. "What did you do?" She said looking at James with a glare. "Can you change me back please?" she asked Professor McGonagall.

With a swish of her wand Lily turned back to normal.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to, I couldn't control it, it wasn't the right wand." A slightly embarrassed James Potter said as Lily just glared at him.

Shortly James left with an 11 inch pliable Mahogany wand and then it was Lily's turn. It took her quite a while but she soon left with her wand, 10 1/4 swishy willow. McGonagall took her tim showing Lily around and even bought her an ice-cream at Florean Fortescues Ice-cream Parlor.

As Lily ate her ice-cream she noticed a group gathering around the window of the Quality Quidditch Supplies store. Just as she was walking over a boy with shaggy black hair and grey eyes rushed past knocking her down.

"Hey watch where you are going!" she yelled almost to the point of tears as she had scraped her knee.

The boy didn't even turn around to apologize as he rushed to the window to see the new broom, it was a Nimbus 1980, the newest broom on the market. McGonagall made a little he hem noise as she viewed the scene. She healed Lily's knee and they left.

Lily excited with all of her new supplies could not wait a week until she left on the Hogwarts Express. As soon as she got home she showed her parents all of her stuff and started reading her school books. Charms seemed the most interesting to her.

The whole time Petunia looked on with jealousy wondering why it had to be her sister who was the special one and not her. As she cried herself to sleep after receiving a decline from Dumbledore saying she couldn't go to Hogwarts, Petunia vowed that she would never be jealous again. Magic wasn't special it was something for freaks. Lily was no longer her sister, she was just a plain old freak like that Snape boy. From this point onward she would be forever cutting her sister out of her life just as if she never had existed.


	5. Chapter 5: The Hogwarts Express

**Double Update! Here is the next chapter already, I hope you like it. Please, Please, Please Review! I don't think I will post another until I get at least one review.**

**-Thanks HT188**

**Chapter 5: The Hogwarts Express**

Lily was a bundle of nerves as she met Severus at Kings Cross Station. Her parents had driven her this morning and were now watching the two as they were about to walk through the barrier. Muggles were not allowed through the magical gateway to the train station. Petunia had refused to come and see her sister off and had not even spoken to her sister for the remainder of the summer, no matter how much Lily had pleaded with her closed door.

"Ready?" Sev asked Lily breaking her thoughts of her sister. The two took the barrier at a run and suddenly the red steam engine appeared as students rushed by with their luggage and owls waving good-bye to reminiscent parents. Lily had her own snowy white owl her parents had given her for a birthday present.

Severus and Lily boarded the train and entered one of the few empty compartments left. Soon the boy from Ollivander's entered their compartment and sat down.

"You, I remember you, you turned me purple!" Lily said menacingly to the little boy. She just knew that she would not like this James Potter. He already seemed full of himself and seemed to constantly mess up his hair.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that it was an accident you know. You're Lily right? We haven't be properly introduced, I'm James Charlus Potter" he said as he held out his hand to her which she ignored.

"And you are?" James asked as he now held out his hand to Snape after giving up on Lily shaking it.

"Severus Snape" Sev replied curtly, he didn't like this James fellow one bit.

"Can I sit here, everywhere else is full?" a boy with shaggy black hair and grey eyes asked, the same boy that had knocked Lily over in Diagon Alley last week.

"Sure mate, I'm James, James Potter" James answered smiling, "And this is Lily Evans and Severus Snape." He said gesturing to the other two in the compartment.

"I'm Sirius, Sirius Black" the boy answered.

James grimaced as he heard the boys last name. The Blacks were a very prominent pureblood family but a very dark pureblood family unlike the Potters. The grimace was not lost on Sirius whose smile faded when he saw the look.

"Nice to meet you, I better be going, I guess you've heard of my family then" he said as he started to back out of the carriage.

"No, wait! I have heard of them, but who says you have to be like them, you could be different. I'm always one to give a person a chance despite their or their family's reputation, go on have a seat and a chocolate frog while your at it" James said as he tossed Sirius a chocolate frog.

"Thanks, mate. Awesome, I got Gryffindor, I don't have him yet. Do you collect to?"

"Course, I've got a whole stack at home, mom wouldn't let me pack them thought, she said chocolate frog collections would take up too much space."

The two boys continued to talk about chocolate frog cards as Severus began talking quietly to Lily.

"You just have to be in Slytherin, it's the best house there." Sev was saying to Lily as James overheard him.

"Slytherin, who would want to be in Slytherin?" James said as he made a disgusted face. "I know I will be in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart, just like my father."

"Well if you'd rather be brawny then brainy" Sev said as he snickered.

"My whole family's been in Slytherin" Sirius said glumly.

"Hey, and I thought you were alright! Its ok mate time to break tradition, tell your family to sod off and choose Gryffindor instead."

"How do we get chosen for houses anyways?" Lily asked looking nervous.

" I don't know, my dad never said. How about you Snivellous do you know?"

Snape ignored him as he looked out the window. " Come one Sev, lets go find another compartment away from these, these abominable children!" Lily said her temper just as fiery as her hair.

"Yeah Snivellous, go on and follow your friend, we'll see you later." Sirius said with a mischievous wink as Lily and Snape stormed out and left.

"Good one Sirius, I really don't like that Snivellous bloke, I wonder what Lily sees in him."

"Oh who cares about her if she is friends with him, she's just a mudblood anyways." Sirius said unconcerned.

"What did you just say?!" James practically yelled. "Don't ever say that word again, especially about her." he said angrily.

"Whoa, I'm sorry mate, I never knew it was bad. My mom says it all the time. Should've known nothing she ever says is nice. Nasty hag that she is." Sirius apologized as James forgave him pretty easily.

The pair were well on there way to being best friends as they continued the journey talking about their favorite quidditch teams. James favored the Tutshill Tornadoes while Sirius was a Chudley Cannons fan. Both agreed the rule of not allowing first years on quidditch teams was stupid and both intended to break the rule.

Lily and Sev had found another empty compartment with only a pale looking boy in it. He was quiet and didn't say much except that his name was Remus Lupin. Lily and Sev continued talking of magic and different spells the would learn once they got to Hogwarts.

The journey was quite eventful, both friends and enemies were mad and the nickname Snivellous was born. Jame also realized there was just something about that Lily Evans that made her unforgettable and he really liked her even though she was friends with Snivellous, hopefully she wouldn't end up in Slytherin he thought as the train pulled in to the station and they caught their first glimpse of Hogwarts. The adventure was just beginning.


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